Magazine Cover Shoot

“Next” Magazine shoot with Kings journalism students.

A few weeks ago I was contacted through Twitter by Mick Cote,a journalism student at Kings in Halifax.Part of their final exam was to design a magazine from conception to finish.Their target market –  young,budget conscious professionals who love good  style,fashion and a great cup of coffee (what’s not to like).Mick asked for my help in styling the cover shot and sent me a description of the mood it should convey.

My suggestion was to find a beautiful traditional property in downtown Halifax and add some modern elements to the design.A home with a lovely hallway in Halifax was found and we set a date to shoot.I had an image of the space but without seeing it in person,had no idea of proportions or scale.I chose accessories and artwork which would fit the bill from my growing inventory.The students got a kick out of shopping The”Prepmobile”.It’s not everyday you have a client select accessories in an alley from the back of your car.Must have looked a little strange to the neighbours (Hey Mister,do you want to pick a vase?) 

I did very well with my decor picks,they seemed to love everything I brought.Final picks included a group of bright coloured vases,a lamp and artwork with an ethnic feel and fresh gerbera daisies.The hallway had a lovely dark wood bench but my plan was to use a taller sofa table.We improvised with two Ikea barstools and propped the table on top to bring up the height.I don’t think you can tell by the final shot,a “thinking outside the box” moment.Vanessa Lentz of Farm Gate Imaging came along for the ride and gave some very useful photography pointers.An enjoyable afternoon was spent setting up the display and watching as the cover shot model walked back and forth in the hallway several times(he suffered for his art) in order for Mick to get the perfect “action” shot.

You can see from the completed project the students really pulled it off with a very professional,polished and highly readable publication.I am so proud of them all,this was a phenomenal amount of work and burning of the midnight oil. 

I wish all the students well as they go on to internships with various Canadian publications.Nick is off to Maisonneuve Magazine in Montreal,lucky guy.You can check out the full publication here and read all about these uber talented young professionals of tomorrow.

http://issuu.com/mickcote0/docs/nextissuuversion2/1